Antiseptic compound.



UNITED STATES PA TENT OFFICE.

GEORGE LUDl/VIG SOHAEFER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO MOKESSON &

ROBBINS, OF SAME PLACE.

ANTISEPTIC COMPOUND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,215, dated October31, 1899. Application filed January 18,1898. Serial No. 667,084. (Nspecimens.)

of Kings and State of New York,have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Antiseptic Compounds; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomakeand use the same.

This invention relates to a new antiseptic compound intended especiallyfor medicinal purposes; and it consists of the compound hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

My invention consists, generally speaking, in a metallic salt of asulfonic acid derived from one of the phenols, and particularly in thesalts of the guaiacolsulfonic acids.

The phenols, as is well known, are bodies of noxious character, smalldoses administered internally being usually sufficient to cause death.They have also an irritant action on the skin and mucous surfaces.

The object of my invention is to produce a compound wherein theobjectional and dangerous characteristics of the phenols are eliminatedor destroyed, thereby rendering the same practically harmless, and sowithout materially aifecting their known useful and important medicinaland antiseptic qualities. The compound, being free from the dangerousand caustic properties of the phenol, is also freed from the acidity ofthe sulfonic acid derivatives thereof, and is a neutral salt, odorlessand free from corrosive action.

To produce the phenolsulfonic acids, the guaiacol, which may be taken astypical for this purpose, is sulfonated by treating with concentratedsulfuric acid till the mixture is clearly soluble in cold water.Uncombined guaiacol is then removed by shaking out with ether, benzol,&c. The residual mixture of sulfuric and guaiacolsulfonic acids may thenbe separated in Various manners. If desired, the whole mass may betreated with a suitable base, resulting in a mixture of sulfonate andsulfate,which may be separated by crys- 'tallization.

Any metallic hydrate, oxide, or carbonate may be used; but if those oflead, calcium, or barium be used the sulfuric acid is at once removed asan insoluble sulfate, leaving the sulfonates in solution, and from theseany other metallic sulfonate may of course be obtained by doubledecomposition. If the proper amount of the foregoing bases are used, amore or less pure solution of free sulfonic acids may be filtered offfrom the in soluble sulfates, and this is neutralized with thecarbonate, oxide, or hydrate of the proper base. Thesesaltsmaybepurifiedbyrepeated recrystallization, after which the desiredsillfonate can be produced either by double de-' composition of theirsalts with a salt of the desired base or by directly neutralizing thefree sulfonic acid with hydrate, carbonate, &c. In this connectioncarbonate, hydrate, &c., of bismuth are used.

The bismuth salts are neutral, odorless, tasteless powders insoluble inwater and al- 7o cohol. The salts are soluble in hydrochloric acid,forming the corresponding free sulfonic acid and bismuth chloride. Theyare broken up by carbonate of sodium, forming an in soluble carbonate ofbismuth and a soluble guaiacolsulfonic of sodium.

The formula of the bismuth salt of guaiacolsulfonic acid, thoughsomewhat indefinite, is substantially:

I desire it understood that the stated method of producing theguaiacolsulfonic acid is no part of my present invention and that othermethods can be employed. 85 Having thus describedthe invention, what isclaimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

A compound consisting of a bismuth salt of guaiacolsulfonic acid.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE LUDWIG SOHAEFER. Witnesses:

WILHELM SOHAD, EMIL LACCORN.

